Desperation
by sweetgums
Summary: A look into Oga's thoughts and the events going on around him as he fights to retrieve the pieces of Furuichi's soul. An AU based on the developments of chapter 208. Lots of speculation regarding certain characters and Furuichi's true nature.
1. And To Show It To You

**Desperation**

* * *

_Chapter 1: "And To Show It To You..."_

* * *

Toujou seemed to materialize out of thin air, and Oga couldn't help staring when he managed to land a punch in Takamiya's face, the impact big enough to create a crater in the side of the wall that hadn't been damaged yet.

_Che_.

_He_ had worn him out first, after all.

"How many times are you going to keep the fun all to yourself, huh? Your dad sucks, Beel"

Beel gurgled a greeting and Toujou flashed him an enthusiastic grin, looking far too pleased with himself. If it had been a different time, maybe Oga would've smiled too and hurled an insult right back at him.

But it had been two hours since midnight and time was pressing.

"Toujou! What the hell are you doing here!? I don't have time for this right now! If I don't defeat Takamiya by sunrise–"

Oga had barely enough time to block the kick Takamiya had aimed at his back. He was open to another attack, but at least Toujou was making himself useful. Using both arms this time, he sent Takamiya flying through the hallway. Two was better than one, right?

"I know" Toujou cut in before Oga could say anything. They only had a few seconds before Takamiya charged again "Saotome told me what happened. This bastard kidnapped Furuichi, right? We can get him back if we beat him together"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple"

Takamiya had stood up, wiping the blood from his face.

"You really think I'm going to let you cheat, Oga?" his hand went for his pocket as he calmly walked back towards them "Is this really the best you can do? You have to rely on others to defeat me?" He had retrieved the fragment of Furuichi's soul, eerily floating inside his hand "Or do I have to destroy this to prove you wrong?"

But Oga had already launched himself against Takamiya, ignoring Toujou's warnings to stand back; this wasn't about winning anymore, if he didn't gather all of Furuichi's soul before the sun rose, then he would…

No, he would never allow that.

And when he was done, he would take his time to break every bone in Takamiya's body with his bare hands.

"_Give it back!_" for once Takamiya hadn't anticipated Oga's attack; he hastily rushed back, but Oga was already in range "_GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"_

Toujou was suddenly there, and in his haste to evade the attack the fragment had escaped Takamiya's grip. Oga made a jump for it, he was close enough to grab it; but was it even possible to touch a piece of soul? What if the piece was attached to Takamiya and–

"Adah!"

Baby Beel made his move instead. Standing in top of his father's head, he reached for it with his hand, and just as he grazed it with his fingers, the fragment shone, like a tiny star in the dark hallway, and flew off to enter Oga's body.

Oga lost his balance from the impact, even though it had been as light as his heart skipping a beat, and reached for his chest.

"What–"

"What the hell was that?" Toujou asked, bewildered.

Oga looked up to Baby Beel, who seemed just as confused as he was, before catching Takamiya's gaze.

"Lucifer!"

He looked furious.

"Wait, was that thing important or something?"

Toujou's questions went ignored. Whatever had happened had been outside of Takamiya's calculations, but Oga had no time to dwell on that, much less fight with that stupid Lolifer. He grabbed on to Beel and took off at top speed.

Those bastards had to be nearby. There were still five pieces left.

"HEY!" Oga could hear Takamiya running after him, but a sudden explosion in the wall told him that Toujou had once again smashed him against the wall.

"You need to find more of those, right!? Go get the other stars! I'll hold him off!"

"THEY'RE NOT STARS, YOU MORON!"

* * *

"Where are you going, Udagawa? Aren't you hungry?"

The masked man turned towards the group who were enthusiastically flexing their muscles and comparing sizes with each other, thrilled by their new strange surge of power.

"Oh, no" he addressed the only girl in the group "I assure you, I have already had my fill. And besides, dinner is already finished, is it not?"

The eerie smile on his face should have been enough warning that something was not right, but the girl just smirked; that wonderful light feeling already starting to cloud her senses.

"Oh, right" she said "Thank you for _dessert_".

She watched him leave through the door, chuckling to himself, just as one of the group reached for the table and smashed it with one finger.

"Woah" he said as he watched the crumbling bits on the floor "I feel so awesome! I'm so damn strong!"

"What was that, anyway?" the girl said as she bent down to examine the damage "That thing he gave us?"

"Who cares? We're stronger, aren't we?" said the biggest guy of them all, reaching for a pack of cigarettes in his jacket "With this much power we could probably even take on Og–"

But no sooner had he said the name that Oga had blasted through the wall as if summoned. His face completely devoid of emotion, his eyes glazed and unfocused, staring ahead as though he was mesmerized by the sight in front of him.

Wait, what was he doing here?

"What the– How the hell did you get here? We weren't going to send the distress message until tomorrow!"

But Oga didn't answer, only turning his head towards them, unperturbed.

"Give them back"

"Huh?"

Their new-found power was the only thing that prevented them from cowering as Oga started approaching them.

"_Give them back_" he repeated.

"Give what back?" the nerve of this guy, blasting through the wall and making demands as though he owned the damned place "What the hell are you talking about, huh? If you just wanna get beat up, say so, you bitch"

"_I know you have them!_" Oga didn't seem to have listened to him at all, but he was getting angrier "I know they're here, give them back right NOW"

"What the fuck is this bastard mumbling about?"

Easy for the toughest guy to say. The thug he was closest to was starting to get nervous at Oga's increasingly irrational demeanor. He had just started to consider that it'd be easier for the group to just crush him with their new-found powers –surely he would have no chance, with four against one?– but before he could voice his thoughts, to the unfortune of everyone involved, the girl who had just been licking her fingers spoke up.

"Ah– You think he means those weird fragments we ate just now?"

And just like that, Oga saw red.

The anger he had been fighting to keep down, lest he lose himself, finally exploded inside his head, and he couldn't see clearly anymore. He had nearly turned into a demon once. He wasn't sure what would become of him if he allowed it to happen again. But all of that took a backseat at the single thought of insatiable need for retaliation. He could feel the darkness circling his arms and chest, the blood drawing from his fists as he teared at his palms, and the red that now clouded his vision.

He needed blood in his hands. _Their_ blood.

His scream tore through the night as he charged at them.

He took them by surprise, surely not expecting to see a half-demon in front of their eyes, but they kept their stance anyway. The surge of power had felt so good, so light, it had gone to their heads; they outnumbered the monster, he was only one man, how could they possible lose against him?

They didn't know, of course, thay they had unknowingly angered a demon. And that not even their cries for mercy would be enough to deter him.

* * *

Saotome already regretted coming to the school grounds. He was only supposed to stand guard that night, but not only had Oga showed up out of nowhere, now Toujou had gotten involved too. And if anyone noticed he was there–

"Leaving so soon, Saotome?"

Of course.

The spell master turned around to reluctantly greet the mockery of a wizard walking out of the gates of the school, smirking as he approached him.

"What do you want, Udagawa?"

"Such manners" the observer chuckled "You didn't even say good-bye. Doesn't your post end in two hours?"

"I'm leaving early today" No need to explain himself. Shorts answer were safe "There's something I need to take care of"

"Surely not to meet with your most recent disciple?"

Saotome could feel the penetratring gaze sent in his direction through the mask, as though Udagawa was hoping to catch the slightest hint of a lie on Saotome's face, but his expression betrayed nothing.

"As if"

Udagawa only smiled. He made no attempt of breaking the silence as the minutes went by, perhaps expecting Saotome to break down from the pressure. And all with just that damn smile on his face. Weirdo.

"If that's all, I'm leaving"

Without waiting for answer, he turned and walked away. Udagawa didn't follow, but called after him when he started rummaging his pockets, looking for a lighter.

"Remember who you're working for, Saotome. Remember what's at stake"

As if he needed to. He couldn't afford to betray Solomon's group, but he could at least give Oga a gentle nudge into the right direction. And Toujou had just happened to walk by. So as long as no one ever knew, what was the harm in it?

"Yeah, yeah"

* * *

His hands were covered in blood, but he was not satisfied.

The battered bodies littering the ground were not enough. He was still angry. He still didn't have what he was looking for. They refused to give them back.

"P-Please" the thug pleaded at the demon holding him by his neck "Mercy! I don't know how to give it back! If I could I–"

He cried when Oga leaned in, standing mere inches from his face, the red from his eyes filled with nothing but promises of death and pain.

"Do I have to rip out your entrails to look for it, then?"

Oga would have done it. He cared little for the trash in front him, shaking and crying and _begging _to be let go. It was his fault anyway. He had taken what wasn't his. And he refused to give it back. These bastards had taken Furuichi's heart, and now he was going to take something from them.

He had raised his hand, ready for a swift attack, ignoring the pathetic cries of his victim. Oga really would have done it.

Had it not been for that sudden voice inside his head.

"OGA! STOP!"

And the only reason he did, was because it belonged to Furuichi.


	2. Just A Soul

The long overdue second chapter. I know, I have no excuse, I'm so sorry for the delay! And many thanks to everyone who left a review.

Needless to say, as of chapter 209 this is an alternate universe, though I may be borrowing some elements from what's currently happening in the manga.

* * *

_Chapter 2: "Just A Soul"_

* * *

Oga's first coherent thought was that he had finally lost his mind.

He gripped his head, trying to blink away the dark spots lingering in his vision, and brush off the heavy feeling in his arms. He looked down, surprised to find fresh blood dripping from his hands.

...What had he been doing?

He remembered his fight with Takamiya. He had come to recover the rest of Furuichi's soul... He had found Takamiya's group, all assembled in one place, and then...

His head still hurt. His chest felt light.

And there was still that voice inside his head.

_"I won't let you, Oga"_

...Furuichi?

_"I don't care what he may have done. I will never let you do something like that, you hear me?"_

It wasn't his voice. It had to be a memory, or a hallucination of some sort.

Not that the thought was particularly comforting.

"Auh..."

Oga felt Beel shifting on his back, no doubt coming out of the same stupor Oga had been in, and he was reminded of his current situation.

The room they were in no longer resembled a classroom, as it was now littered with unconscious bodies and drenched with the smell of blood instead. That's right, he had come to get them, the bastards who had actually _dared_ to–

His heart jumped.

_"Don't get angry!"_

That memory just wouldn't leave him alone.

"I'm not angry"

And he was definitely losing his mind.

"P-Please"

A pitiful wail from below reminded him of the bastard he had apparently been straddling before, tears running from his eyes and snot coming out of his nose.

Gross.

"I'll do whatever you want, just p-please don't kill me!"

Oh, right, he was about to beat him to a pulp and within an inch from his life, wasn't it?

"Then what are you waiting for?"

The pulsing on his temples was making it _really_ hard to keep his head clear, but somehow that strange light feeling on his chest was helping him to at least steady his voice. He took a deep breath and stared down at the delinquent.

"Cough it up and you're free to go"

* * *

Agiel wiped her brow and let out a sigh of relief as she finally managed to stop the bleeding. Despite the size of the wound on his chest and the pool underneath it, Furuichi had not lost a substantial amount of blood as she had expected, and his body was still warm. Agiel had been afraid that moving him to an empty classroom to get away from the battlefield would do him worse, but as she dragged him away she was surprised to see his body barely left a trail of blood behind him, and though healing wasn't her forte, she had successfully managed to treat his injuries.

Well, there was still the issue of the lost soul... but at least his body would be enough to assure his survival.

Agiel flinched as another explosion was heard in the hallway. That one had been too close. At their current pace, that giant beast – Toujo, was it? – would reach them and they would have to move again. But really, surely he wasn't that much of an idiot to lead the fight straight to them, right?

The next explosion made a dangerous crack on the wall and Agiel sighed in exasperation. Wasn't it Toujo's idea to move Furuichi's body in the first place? This was too much trouble. She could've gone after her fallen comrades and go back to the base instead of having to deal with all this.

Well no, not really. Even if Toujo hadn't said so, she would've probably treated Furuichi's injuries anyway, even if it meant the loss of the little energy she had. She kind of liked the guy. That time when he had summoned her had been really fun. She would be a little upset if she heard he would end up dying, to be honest, and in _this_ manner, of all things...

When the wall outside the hallway started crumbling, Agiel prepared herself for the arduous task of dragging Furuichi to another classroom.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

When the nameless minion had seen that dark glint disappear from Oga's eyes –hand stopping inches from piercing through his side– he couldn't hold back the tears of joy. He blubbered in relief, not caring or thinking of what his comrades would say if they saw him now, of what a pathetic sight he made. Even Oga himself seemed mildly disgusted with him. But he didn't care; the threat of death was gone. Whatever this demon wanted in exchange he would give it, and he would finally be done with this business.

He didn't even want to be in this stupid gang, anyway. What was the point of being strong if he was going to die?

But even after coming back to earth, Oga kept making the same demands. Hand over the piece. Cough it up or I'll make you do it. It wasn't enough that he had _ate _part of a human soul –damn that Takamiya– now he was expected to do the impossible and bring it back! He kept telling the monster that he didn't know how, that he didn't know anything –he really didn't! But Oga wouldn't listen or simply wouldn't believe him, and kept asking for it over and over. At this rate, perhaps, his eyes would darken again.

"P-Please! I already told you! I-I don't know how to!" Did Oga believe that grabbing him by the collar and cutting off his air supply would trigger a memory that didn't exist? "B-But maybe if you asked one of the other guys they might know–"

"Don't fuck around with me! Does it look like I have the time to–!?"

In his haste to throttle the damn bastard, or perhaps just to bash his head against the floor in frustration, Oga had loosened his grip, allowing enough of an opening for the nameless minion to scramble away. The baby cried in protest and Oga immediately dived after him, grabbing him by his shirt as he brought him to a stop and inches from his face.

And as Oga prepared to deliver another row of profanities at him, something strange happened.

No sooner had the demon's hand made contact with the fabric that a pale blue light started to glow from the his chest, the same light –though he didn't know– that had shone in the hallway, and Oga stared in amazement as his own chest started glowing too. Was Oga doing this? It didn't hurt, but it scared him nonetheless. He flailed around in panic, but that monster kept him in place, an eerily calm expression on his face.

He was too much of an idiot to realize that his ordeal would be over soon.

* * *

Oga understood what was going to happen before it did. As the light grew brighter, a fragment came out from the thug beneath him, slowly floating upwards in the space between the two. Oga dropped him in surprise, not caring about the defining thud immediately heard afterwards, and reached for the fragment without hesitation, enclosing it in his left hand. It was soft to the touch and oddly warm, but Oga had no time to contemplate it as it flew towards his chest, just like the first piece did, and he braced for the impact.

The same warmth that he had felt in his hand now filled him inside, and Oga reached for his chest as his heart skipped another beat, a fluttering sensation in his stomach. This time, the forgotten minion had successfully managed to get away, crying for his life as he ran, but Oga didn't care.

Right in front of him was the semblance of the ghost of Furuichi.

"Finally" The pale reflection looked around, unimpressed with his surroundings, and turned back to Oga with a deadpan expression on his face "Took you long enough to figure it out"

And Oga really didn't know what to say to that.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want it? The other numbers got quite the power-up when they ate theirs, you know?"

Himekawa kept eyeing the fragment in his hand, ignoring the mocking voice behind him.

"That just makes it sound more suspicious" he muttered without looking up "Am I supposed to believe that eating this will have no negative consequences for me?"

The magician let out a low chuckle in amusement "Even now, you still don't trust me? You make it sound like I'm the devil incarnate"

"And aren't you just that?"

Udagawa laughed heartily at the statement, but did not answer him.

"Whatever" Himekawa said as he stood up "I don't need additional contracts. I'm strong enough as is"

"But you like interesting things, do you not? If you won't eat it, at least keep that fragment with you, and Oga will come"

Fragment? Himekawa frowned at the peculiar description, but he pressed on "What makes you think I want to fight with Oga right now? Didn't I bring Furuichi for the sole purpose of making him fight against Takamiya?"

"Oh? So was that a pledge of your undying loyalty?" Udagawa sneered, closing the space between them "Or was that a setup to have your obstacles destroy each other?"

Of course, the observer didn't expect an answer to that. His shoulders shook with amusement as he contemplated Himekawa's wooden expression.

"Must you be so serious?" he sighed dramatically "I don't care about your personal agenda, so as long as you keep your end of the bargain. If you don't want to fight Oga at this moment, then leave the fragment with me"

Himekawa walked away, turning his gaze at the peculiar piece in his hand, contemplating Udagawa's offer.

"No" he finally said "I won't fight him tonight, but if this really will attract Oga, then it will be useful for me later"

Somewhere near the windows, the observer let loose a sinister laughter.

"I'm afraid it might be too late by then"

When Himekawa turned around to address him, Udagawa was gone.

Leaving without making a sound, fit for a magician.

"Idiot"

Himekawa pocketed the fragment in his coat and left the classroom, following the sounds of battle in the east part of the building.

Current circumstances aside, he would definitely beat Oga this time.

So what if he had resorted to dirty tactics? That had always been his style.

Furuichi had just been an unfortunate casualty.

* * *

"Am I dreaming?"

Really, if he hadn't finally lost his mind then there was no other way to explain the current situation. Admittedly, Furuichi's ghost –no, it was not HIM, dammit! Even if he was wearing an expression worthy of the real deal, this hallucination was _not_ Furuichi. Hadn't he been busting his ass to save his soul? Why the hell would Furuichi be dead? The sun hadn't risen yet!

"You're not dreaming, Oga"

Oga crossed his arms in response. Of course a hallucination would say that.

"Prove it"

The ghost in front of him sighed in exasperation.

"Are we seriously doing this right now? If I could punch you in the face, believe me, _I would"_

Baby Beel gurgled behind him, stretching his arm as a greeting of sorts, but Oga made no attempt of moving closer.

"How do I know you're not just a hallucination or something, huh?"

"Oga, you have two pieces of my soul inside you and you're really doubting if this is me!?"

Two pieces–

Oh.

He hadn't considered that.

"Then... that voice before, that was you?"

It wasn't a memory?

"Of course that was me, who the hell did you think that was!?"

A hallucination, maybe?

"I already TOLD you, you're not dreaming!"

"I didn't SAY I was dreaming, I said– Wait, did you just read my mind!?"

"YOU SAID THAT OUT LOUD, YOU IDIOT!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT, YOU–"

Oga cut himself short. Beel was going nuts perched on Oga's head, burbling happily at the sight in front of him. Furuichi sighed in exasperation again. This was hardly the place or the time to be arguing. At least that settled it; this was definitely his best friend... notwithstanding the fact that he was a ghost of sorts now.

"How is this possible? How are you here?"

Furuichi shifted in discomfort, crossing his arms and looking away.

"If you mean why I'm inside your body instead of... instead of my own, then I don't know either. It's like I just woke up. I don't know any more than you do"

Oga frowned in confusion "But I heard you inside my head before. Haven't you been conscious this whole time?"

Furuichi looked as though he wished he was having any other conversation but this one.

"I... I don't know. I was sort of aware of what you were doing when you had just one piece but... it's like I was almost asleep, it was hard to concentrate. Even know, I–"

Furuichi sighed again, a tired expression crossing his features.

"Look, Oga, I wish we could keep talking about the hows and whys, but we should probably find all my pieces first"

Furuichi looked towards the ruined classroom and for the first time, Oga noticed that the other minions were gone.

"Hey! When the hell did they–"

"They have my soul, remember?" Furuichi cut in with a grimace "The pieces must have healed them just enough to allow them to escape"

Oh, right, Oga vaguely remembered them boasting something about a power-up before he took them on.

"They can't have gotten far away, so we should probably go now"

"Oh yeah, that kariage bastard said we had till sunset before you died for real"

Furuichi bitterly laughed at that and sent a wry smile at Oga's direction.

"Then all the more reason to get going, moron"

Oga smirked in return, settling Baby Beel on his back.

"Let's go, Baby Beel"

Said baby released an eager battle cry as Oga took off at top speed, happily jumping up and down on his back at the prospect of more fights, and Furuichi following close behind him as he complained about Beel's inappropriate excitement.

It was a weird situation, running in a deserted school with a baby cheering loudly and a ghostly apparition floating behind him, but somehow the knowledge that Furuichi was with him made him feel more at ease.

He caught a glimpse of a clock on the wall. Four hours until sunrise.

Enough time to get the other pieces and beat the living daylights out of Takamiya.


End file.
